phi beta kappa as a third year?

[spunkybling]

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I just got accepted to phi beta kappa, and i'm a THIRD YEAR (about to apply to med school this summer)... this is a big deal right? how important will this be on my applications.. ?

I go to UVA, 3.91 cumulative GPA, 3.94 SGPA, but I'm taking the mcats this april and don't really know how well i'll do on it (verbal is kicking my ass right now), but I'm aiming 35+... I have 2 years of hospital experience, lots of violin extracurr, 1.5 years bio research. Where should I be applying?

 

[instigata]

I just got accepted to phi beta kappa, and i'm a THIRD YEAR (about to apply to med school this summer)... this is a big deal right? how important will this be on my applications.. ?

I go to UVA, 3.91 cumulative GPA, 3.94 SGPA, but I'm taking the mcats this april and don't really know how well i'll do on it (verbal is kicking my ass right now), but I'm aiming 35+... I have 2 years of hospital experience, lots of violin extracurr, 1.5 years bio research. Where should I be applying?

I love how this went from a "should I join phi beta kappa?" to "what are my chances and where should I apply?" haha. That was REALLY SLY spunkybling 👍

 

[kelvin81]

This thread seems like a show-off to me. If you have 3.91 GPA and aiming at 35 MCAT, I m pretty sure you know which schools you wanna apply to. If you'd like to show us how impressive you are by capitalizing "THIRD YEAR", I m afraid it's not working. I never try to bring anyone down on SDN but the fact that the thread subject is completely misleading and it annoys me to see someone inducted to Phi Beta Kappa doing this. I m a Phi Beta Kappa member too. I guess not everyone can be humble.

 

[byong_soo]

you should apply to harvard and maybe JHU as a backup. you should have no problem getting in.

 

[Pancho Villa]

ditto. you should only apply to harvard. none of the other schools are worthy of your excellence.

 

[EmbellisMaVie]

This thread seems like a show-off to me. If you have 3.91 GPA and aiming at 35 MCAT, I m pretty sure you know which schools you wanna apply to. If you'd like to show us how impressive you are by capitalizing "THIRD YEAR", I m afraid it's not working. I never try to bring anyone down on SDN but the fact that the thread subject is completely misleading and it annoys me to see someone inducted to Phi Beta Kappa doing this. I m a Phi Beta Kappa member too. I guess not everyone can be humble.

To be fair, I think the OP's intent was to distinguish from one of my posts earlier today... I was asking about the potential benefits of PBK membership as a fourth year.

OP, do a search on "Phi Beta Kappa". It has been discussed numerous times. Yes, it is prestigious. No, it will not be a deciding factor in admissions.

 

[HumbleMD]

It's a worthy honor. But, as others have mentioned, the honor is a mere reflection of the other things you've done in undergrad that will already show up on your application. I would hold off getting concerned about where to apply until you have an actual MCAT score in hand. Before that hurdle is out of the way, you should be studying for it instead of spending time on SDN or fretting about where you'll apply.

 

[Catalystik]

I just got accepted to phi beta kappa, and i'm a THIRD YEAR (about to apply to med school this summer)... this is a big deal right? how important will this be on my applications.. ?

Being invited to join Phi Beta Kappa when you have junior standing requires that you be in the top 1% of your class (at least, at my local University), whereas the invitation is extended to the top 7% of those with senior standing. Relatively speaking, I agree with you: this is a big deal. You have every right to be proud of yourself for your accomplishment, but hopefully you already were, as this is not new news.

I'd put it on the application. But as your transcript is also included in your application, the medical schools will already be well aware of your academic performance. On future job applications, your undergrad GPA is unlikely to be asked about. That you were Phi Beta Kappa answers that question indirectly.

 

[QuakerPreMed]

I was PBK my junior year and got rejected from plenty of places with insane high GPA...of course I go to a smaller school than UVA

http://www.mdapplicants.com/viewprofile.php?myid=7646

:-\

 

[EmbellisMaVie]

Being invited to join Phi Beta Kappa when you have junior standing requires that you be in the top 1% of your class (at least, at my local University), whereas the invitation is extended to the top 7% of those with senior standing. Relatively speaking, I agree with you: this is a big deal. You have every right to be proud of yourself for your accomplishment, but hopefully you already were, as this is not new news.

I'd put it on the application. But as your transcript is also included in your application, the medical schools will already be well aware of your academic performance. On future job applications, your undergrad GPA is unlikely to be asked about. That you were Phi Beta Kappa answers that question indirectly.

Actually, at UVA (and many other schools), Phi Beta Kappa requires a bit more than just high GPA. They also evaluate your coursework for intellectual breadth and depth, with a preference for humanities majors or those who have taken a significant amount of courses in the liberal arts. As a result, an invitation is not just a way of saying, "Nice GPA," it's a reflection on the quality of your academic schedule.

 

[jdawt]

Congratulations on the honor. I was accepted into PBK my junior year as well from UF, maybe not as well known as UVA, but they're trying. Basically, it was never mentioned, never brought up, and prolly got drowned out by the rest of my application (big things like research, overall gpa, mcat improvement (since i essentially failed it once), etc). Be proud, but as others have said, it doesn't really matter... in terms of your app that is.

Oh, and apply broadly, no matter how kick ass your app is. You'll feel really stupid to apply with a 35+ mcat, >3.9 GPA, and get in nowhere. MD at crappy school = MD at highly ranked school. However, this doesn't mean don't go big. Just keep your "safeties" in mind (whatever that means)

J

 

[BigRedPremed]

To be fair, I think the OP's intent was to distinguish from one of my posts earlier today... I was asking about the potential benefits of PBK membership as a fourth year.

OP, do a search on "Phi Beta Kappa". It has been discussed numerous times. Yes, it is prestigious. No, it will not be a deciding factor in admissions.

I'm pretty sure the intent was just to brag. Their practice MCAT scores, EC's are irrelevant to the question posed in the title.

 

[BigRedPremed]

I was PBK my junior year and got rejected from plenty of places with insane high GPA...of course I go to a smaller school than UVA

http://www.mdapplicants.com/viewprofile.php?myid=7646

:-\

That's kinda what happens when all the schools you apply to are Top 20 schools.